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Podcasting\kargari
elementary school kids seem to love podcasting, older kids have started gravitating to video in a big way. And the biggest reason for that without question is YouTube.com. Bought by Google back in 2006 for over a billion dollars, YouTube is already having an enormous disruptive effect on our society, and it's also becoming a place where more and more of our students go to publish the artifacts of their lives. As of this writing, over 20 hours of videos are being uploaded to YouTube every minute, which translates to almost four years' worth of video uploaded each day. Staggering numbers, if you ask me. Not surprisingly, it's also a site that most schools have chosen to block. While, as with the other sites we've discussed here, the vast majority of YouTube content is appropriate, the "anyone can publish anything" aspect can be unsettling. (Still, wouldn't it be better to teach students how to deal with less-than-salient content that they see when they get home?) The same goes for Google Video and a number of the other popular uploading sites. So, a number of alternatives for educators are already springing up, the most notable of which is TeacherTube.com. TeacherTube has thousands of studentand- teacher-produced videos and wants yours as well. The great part about these online services is that they're free, number one, and they are unlimited in terms of their use. And, in the case of You Tube, you can even record video right from your computer onto their server. Very cool. But as with podcasting, there is a certain amount of writing and preparation that goes into great movie making. It's digital storytelling in its most complex form, and it requires a significant amount of thinking and work to do it well. And, of course, the process is a bit more complex, making it difficult to cover in this small amount of space. My goal here is to point you in the right direction to get started. Getting started with video requires a bit more of an investment than with pod casting, but you can still produce some great movies on a shoestring budget. And remember, while quality is important, what's critical are the writing, producing, and publishing skills that students learn in the process. In that regard, the time investment is also much greater. Digital video cameras can run into the thousands of dollars these days, but you should be able to find a decent one for $300 or less. (A good starting point for your search is at cNet.com.) If there is one requirement for whatever you choose, make sure the camera has an external input for a microphone. That way, if you are shooting video from across the room, you can buy an extra long (like 30 feet) mic extension cord and drape it over a broomstick to create a makeshift boom mic for better audio quality. Before filming, remember to take the time to have students plan their movies using storyboards that frame out the story, and to do some basic instruction on how to hold and use the camera. One of the best resources for this that I've found is the video podcast at ]zzyVideo.c0111. Just check out the list along the right hand side of the page and you'll see a list of the dozens of short tutorials that can really help you understand the nuances of digital video production. Once you have a camera, and you've shot some video, you'll need to do some editing and production. Luckily, both Windows and Mac platforms have good basic video editors in MovieMaker and iMovie, respectively. Both allow you to import video and audio, and you can record audio voiceovers right onto your movie as well. You can create title screens, add text, run credits, and much more. In fact, the capabilities of these two free programs will most likely far outpace your and your students' needs. Both come with pretty good "Getting Started" tutorials that [ urge you to check out, or, of course, there are entire books out there dedicated to the subject. And, no surprise, there are also online video recording and editing alternatives. (Have 1 mentioned that the Web is becoming an app?) One to look at from an easy recording standpoint is JayCut.com, where you can upload your raw video from your computer, mix files together, add music and audio, and publish to your favorite video site. There are already many alternatives out there, so you may want to dig around your network for some suggestions when you read this.